After Kakashi Hatake woke up, he instinctively raised his hand and looked at his palm. Feeling the vitality that had once again filled his body, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
"What happened to me...?" He sat up and looked around in confusion at Sakura, whose tear tracks had yet to dry even though she was staring in stunned silence, Sasuke, whose expression was complicated, and...
His gaze finally landed on Naruto, who had broken into a radiant smile through his tears. In Naruto's hands were the two Talismans that had already returned to their peaceful state.
In an instant, he understood everything.
"Naruto!" Kakashi's voice was hoarse with the relief of surviving a disaster, but more than that, it was filled with endless comfort and emotion.
He reached out. This time, he finally had the strength to fulfill his wish and gently ruffle Naruto's messy blond hair. His gaze softened. "Was it you who saved me? Well done."
"Teacher Kakashi! Sob... You scared me to death!" Naruto could no longer hold back. He lunged forward, wrapped his arms around Kakashi, and burst into tears. This time, however, they were tears of joy.
Sakura also covered her mouth and cried tears of happiness. Although Sasuke turned his head away, his tense shoulders finally relaxed, and he let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
While everyone was overjoyed at Kakashi's recovery, Haku, who was kneeling beside Zabuza, took in this entire miracle.
He watched Kakashi go from the brink of death to being filled with vitality. As he looked at the two Talismans radiating mysterious Light, the final glimmer of hope instantly ignited in his eyes.
He practically crawled to Naruto on all fours. Under everyone's astonished gazes, he fell heavily to his knees with a "thump," tears rolling down